The Beauty and the Beast
by floatinglights
Summary: When her father is imprisoned in a cursed castle, Katara sacrifices herself to take his place. But after a while, she discovers the castle isn't that bad a place at all. And its prince might not be the monster she believed him to be, either...[AU,Zutara]
1. I Another Story

_A/N:_ _All right,_ _I know this must've crossed about every single Zutarian's mind, but I hope it's still original. It's my own version of the story, so don't expect it to be exactly like the movie - at all, seriously. Just the big lines. More comments at the bottom of the page._

Disclaimer: Still don't own Avatar. Nor do I own Beauty and the Beast. Actually, I don't even own the computer I typed this on.

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**The Beauty and the Beast  
**_Chapter I.  
Another Story_

There was, without a doubt, not a single person in the entire village who hadn't heard of the young lady Katara.

First and foremost, this was because of her father. Hakoda was a very eccentric man, after all, and often the center of discussion. He was a scientist: In his younger days, he spent his time developing weapons – mostly bombs – for the navy, but after he came to their village he started working on other things as well. People had seen him creating the most peculiar objects: Tiny little things to help create a flame (which he had called 'lighters'), a machine to help doing the laundry and something that was supposed to chop wood but didn't quite work yet. Many villagers called him mad, but most believed him to be harmless.

Then there was the matter of her older brother. Sokka had worked in the nearby castle, but had disappeared years ago. The villagers had thought this most suspicious at first; after all, boys didn't just disappear into nothing. But then it became obvious that not only Sokka, but everyone inside the castle had vanished, and his sole disappearance became less interesting. There were rumours of a dangerous beast invading the castle and having killed everyone present there. Hardly anyone believed this, but of one thing everyone was sure: Sokka, nor any of the others working at the castle, would ever come back.

And lastly, there was Katara herself. People were never really sure what to think of her. On one side, she was a really sweet and kind girl, always caring and willing to give a hand. On the other side, she was odd and peculiar, preferring books over a human conversation and always talking about making something more of her life. One thing everyone had to agree upon: She was stunningly beautiful. With her long, dark-brown hair, bright blue eyes and tanned skin, she was quite likely to be the prettiest girl in the village – though of course, many refused to admit it. Yet the villagers weren't too fond of her: She was a strange girl and that was something neither her beauty, nor anything else about her, could hide.

Katara, in turn, didn't think too much of the village. Not that the life wasn't peaceful, nor that the people weren't kind; she just felt there had to be more in the world than this kind of life. It was one of the many reasons she had resorted to reading. The books told her beautiful stories about people in countries far, far away, who had the most interesting adventures. When she asked Hakoda about them, he would always smile and promise her that once he had the money, they would move away and find her an adventure like those as well, but his voice would sound uncertain; Katara knew he didn't really want to leave the village. Part of her was reluctant of doing so as well. Deep down, she still believed that maybe someday, Sokka would return home, and she knew that if she left the village, there would definitely be no change of seeing him ever again. Then again, maybe it was worth it – if only not to see certain _other_ people ever again.

The young man grinned. "Hello there, Katara." He carelessly brushed his brown hair out of his face.

Katara forced a smile at him. "Good morning, Jet."

"Reading again, I see?" Jet pointed at the open book in her hands.

"Well, yes," Katara nodded, unable to stop her eyes from straying back to the pages. The story in the book interested her far more than Jet possibly could, no matter how handsome and great he was considered to be by all the other girls in the village.

"What's it about?" he wanted to know.

Katara shrugged without looking up. "Just another story."

"Another story, huh?" Jet glanced at the pages, though, Katara knew, he couldn't read a word. "I see." He smirked and looked down at her in what he must've believed was a very charming way. "Did I tell you you look gorgeous today?" he asked in a low voice.

Katara sighed heavily under her breath. _Here we go again._ "Why, thank you, Jet," she said, giving him a fake smile. "That's very kind of you."

"Don't thank me," Jet sighed smoothly; "it's simply the truth." He sat down next to her on the edge of the fountain and put a hand on her shoulder. Katara felt her muscles tense. "You know, there's a story telling night in the tavern today," he said. "How would you like to go there with me?"

"No thanks," Katara replied immediately. She snapped her book shut and got up, brushing the dust from her blue dress. "I'm not interested in hunting tales and gossip."

"Then you can come and tell us some of _your_ stories." Jet got up as well. "You must know some great tales."

"Thank you Jet," Katara smiled tiredly. "But the answer's still no." She prepared to leave, but Jet stopped her.

"Come on, beautiful," he persisted. "It won't be any fun without you." He put his hand on her shoulder again, and Katara resisted the urge to throw him off.

"Well…" She gave him a doubtful look. He wasn't going to give up any time soon; she knew him too well to believe that. "I'll think about it," she decided. "If dad doesn't need me tonight, and I've finished my chores… Maybe I will come. But I'm not promising you _anything_," she added.

Jet didn't seem to care. "That's great!" he beamed. "I'll look out for you tonight, darling."

Katara snorted. "I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you," she said. "Good day, Jet." She swung her braid over her shoulder, throwing off his hand, and strode away from him.

"As good as you could've hoped for, I think," a raspy voice said behind him.

Jet turned around. "I guess you're right," he said, eyeing the girl who had just spoken up. "I suppose you won't be coming tonight, either, Smellerbee?"

The girl shrugged. "I might," she said slowly. "What do you say, Longshot?" She glanced up at the tall, silent guy next to her, who merely nodded.

"Good," Jet said, pleased. "Katara'll be there, too. I'll go pick her up and drag her along if necessary. It'll be a good night."

"You might want to reconsider that plan, Jet," Smellerbee said darkly. "She's a strange girl, that Katara, and she's not quite as charmed by you as the rest of the girls around here. If you want to marry her…"

"Don't worry about it," Jet waved his hand dismissingly. "I have it all worked out in my head. Once I pop the question, there's no way she'll refuse."

Longshot gave him a piercing look.

"That's okay," Jet nodded. "I'll win her over tonight. You'll see."

…

"I'm home!"

Hakoda looked up in surprise. "Already?" he asked as Katara closed the door behind her. "I didn't think you'd leave until you finished reading that new book of yours. Or did you finish it already?"

"No, not yet," Katara chuckled. She carefully put her book down and walked over to kiss her father on the cheek. "I ran into that Jet again. You know, that handsome guy every girl in town is gushing about?"

"Every girl except you, by the sound of it." Hakoda frowned at the blueprint in front of him.

Katara sighed. "Well, I guess he's not all bad," she said, "and I'm sure he means well. But he's not really my type." She got up and walked to the kitchen. "Besides…" She poured herself some tea from earlier that morning. It wasn't exactly hot anymore, but it was good enough. "He only wants me for my looks. Not for who I really am." She looked down, a slightly sad look in her eyes. "That goes for pretty much everyone here, really."

Hakoda smiled encouragingly at her and made a few adjustments to his blueprint. "Don't let it worry you, Katara," he said, shaking his head. "If he doesn't appreciate the wonderful person you are, then he's obviously not worthy of you – and neither are any of those other guys. One day, you will find a man who can truly love you for who you are on the inside. I _know_ you will. So don't you dare worry about it. Okay?" He put his arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Katara giggled softly. "I won't," she promised, smiling back at him. "Thanks, dad." She hugged her father, picked up the book again and started reading again.

"Good, good." Hakoda pushed back his chair. Carefully, he rolled up the blueprints and put them away in the drawer behind him. "I'm afraid I will have to make a small trip today," he announced, getting up and stretching his limbs. "I've run out of some necessities for my new invention and I can only get those in the city. Don't worry," he added as he saw Katara's face fall. "I'll be back again tomorrow, and the weather will be good; everyone says so."

"As long as you promise me you'll be careful," Katara sighed. She didn't like the road leading to the city at all; the villagers told the strangest stories about it, and she didn't think they could all be lies.

"I promise," Hakoda laughed, ruffling her hair. "I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning."

Not quite at ease but feeling she should be encouraging, Katara smiled and nodded. "All right then. I trust you."

"I'm glad." Hakoda walked towards the door. "Would you mind fetching my lunch for me? It's on the counter."

Katara nodded. "Yes, of course." She closed her book and hurried into the kitchen. There were indeed some loose sandwiches spread over the counter and a small bottle of water in the sink. She smiled and shook her head. _How very typical. _She wrapped the sandwiches neatly in a piece of cloth. She hesitated, then added a few apples as well. Satisfied, she bundled the lunch package and ran outside to the stable. Her father was already there.

"Easy, Philippe, calm…" Hakoda shushed the horse as he saddled and untied him. "It'll only be a short trip. You can handle that, can't you?"

The horse snorted and whinnied softly, now standing still.

Hakoda patted him on the back. "Good boy." He turned around to face Katara. "Ah, my lunch!"

"I wrapped it for you," she said, handing him the package. "You left them all loose on the counter."

"I did?" Hakoda furrowed his eyebrows. "I might have, yes," he then admitted. He climbed up on the horse's back and smiled down at Katara. "Now, be a good girl while I'm gone, won't you?"

Katara raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Don't open the door and don't talk to strangers, you mean?" she chortled. "Don't worry, dad."

"I don't." Hakoda laughed warmly at her. "Well, take care, girl. Go on, Philippe!" He spurred on the horse and stormed off.

Katara waved after him. "Be careful!" she yelled. Sighing, she lowered her hand. By the looks of it, she would be home alone for the rest of the day. Not that she wasn't used to it – quite the contrary. Her father travelled a lot to get his supplies. But she'd miss talking to him in the evening, sitting comfortably by the fire together and laughing at all the things they told each other. She only still had her father, after all. It wasn't like there was anyone else around to talk to.

Slowly, she walked back inside. She looked at the book she'd borrowed earlier that day. Maybe, if she finished it before the evening, she'd look in on the tavern for the story night. It wasn't really her kind of thing, but she didn't feel like staying home alone. Who knew; she might actually hear something interesting.

…

The tavern was warm and crowded that night. The weather had turned for the worse; Rain was pouring down and the wind howled through the streets. Many villagers had turned up just to avoid being alone at home in this cold autumn weather. They all gathered around the fireplace, where the stories were being told.

Jet grinned widely as he saw the last person entering the tavern. "Katara!" He rushed to take her coat. "You came!"

"I had nothing better to do," Katara replied, shrugging. She allowed Jet to pull her towards the fireplace.

"Of course you hadn't," Jet said briskly. "This is the best there _is_ to do." He offered her a chair and ran off to buy her a drink at the bar.

Katara sighed and sat down. The main reason she had come to the tavern at all was to get her father out of her head. The weather was horrible and she was worried. What if he hadn't reached the city before the storm broke loose? She groaned and shook her head. _Don't you think about that, Katara!_ She turned her attention to the old man who had stood up to tell his story in front of the roaring fire.

"Years ago," he began in a loud voice, "a king, a queen and their son lived in a castle in the forest. It were good times, in which nobody had to worry about anything at all, and the king provided us with work and safety. But then, one cold winter's night, everything went wrong."

Several people leaned forward in their chair. Everyone knew this story by heart; yet they all loved hearing it again and again.

"That night, a beast entered the castle," the man continued in a lower tone. "A beast so evil and hideous, he could not even bear the daylight. He demanded the king give him the castle, or he would kill him and take it by force. But the king was brave and refused the beast."

The villagers gasped; some clasped their hands over their mouths as if they heard the tale for the first time.

The man's voice had now dropped to a husky whisper. "The beast then killed the king. Then he devoured him and every single man, woman or child in the castle, until there was no one left. They say…" People had to lean forward to hear what he was telling now, as his voice was hardly audible anymore. "They say that the beast still lives inside the castle, waiting for anyone stupid or desperate enough to enter that cursed place. And-"

"That will be enough, now."

The crowd turned their heads, looking either disturbed or surprised. A tall, older man with dark hair and large sideburns had gotten up from his table in the far corner of the tavern. Katara recognised him as the retired admiral Zhao, now prison keeper in their village; not the most pleasant man she had ever met.

"This is no time to be telling fairy tales," he said, a cool grin apparent on his features. "Our story night is supposed to be for true tales; no lies."

The old man gave him a defiant look. "The tale of the beast is a true tale, Zhao," he said, teeth clenched.

The tavern suddenly roared with laughter. "It's a myth!" Jet shouted, handing Katara a glass and sitting down next to her. "An old legend! There is no beast inside the castle, nor was there ever." There were several shouts of agreement.

"It is no legend," the man said loudly.

Zhao shook his head as if he felt sorry for the old man, but Katara saw the grin on his face hadn't disappeared. "The castle had been searched thoroughly several times since the disappearances," he said, "and no beast, nor any sign of one, has ever been found."

"My father has seen it!" the old man bellowed. "My father saw the beast!"

But the crowd only laughed harder. Katara felt sorry for the man; she didn't really believe him, either, but this kind of reaction was just cruel.

"Did he now?" Zhao sneered. "Well, well… And we thought that Hakoda was the worst lunatic in town…"

There was a loud BONK when Katara smacked her glass down on the table. The laughter suddenly stopped. "My father is _not_ a lunatic," she said, her blue eyes gleaming dangerously.

Zhao turned to her, the corner of his mouth curling slightly. "I beg to differ with you," he said coldly. "From what I've heard and seen, he's not quite, eh… _normal_ would be the most polite way to place it."

Katara flushed. "How dare you?" she shouted. "My father's a genius – he's brilliant!"

The crowd burst with laughter. Zhao smiled coolly. "I find that hard to believe," he said airily. "Especially after those, ah, accidents in your basement."

Katara gritted her teeth. Every now and then, something would go wrong with an experiment and cause a small explosion. But that was only _natural._ "Don't challenge me, Zhao," she hissed.

Several men looked apprehensive; as beautiful a girl as she might be, Katara certainly _fought_ like a man.

Zhao, however, looked unabashed. "Silly little girl," he snorted, shaking his head. "Do you actually think you could beat me?"

Katara glared at him, her fists clenched tightly. "Yes, I do."

"Katara, don't be ridiculous," Jet said impatiently, trying to push her back into her chair. "He'll have you beaten in – "

How soon he would have beaten her they never knew, as Katara hit him full across the face before he could even finish his sentence. Multiple girls gasped or screamed in shock as he stumbled backwards, looking up at her with big eyes.

"Keep your hands off me, Jet," Katara said shrilly, her face screwed up with anger. Without another word, she stalked to the exit, grabbed her coat and slammed the door shut behind her. She felt her face glowing. How _dare_ he?! Of course she knew how people called her father behind their backs, and that was bad enough. But to say it right to her face?

She hardly even noticed the storm had subdued as she stalked through the dark village. That horrible bastard… She kicked hard against a rock, sending it flying into a puddle on the street. No respect for others… That cruel, vicious… _He_ was more of a beast than whatever had entered that blasted castle could possibly have been!

Fuming, she crossed the bridge over the river. She could now make out her house in the darkness… and something else. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she slowed to a stop. "Philippe…?" she whispered.

The horse was running around like mad, rearing up and whinnying loudly.

Katara felt her anger evaporate, making place for a horrible feeling of dread. She glanced at the house; the windows were dark. Her mouth suddenly felt dry. "No…"

Slowly, she approached Philippe. The horse looked terrified at her through his big, brown eyes. Katara grabbed hold of the dangling reins. "Philippe…" she whispered hoarsely, now shaking all over her body. "Where's dad?"

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_A/N: There. I hope it was okay - I'm not really sure about this one. Not that I don't like writing it, because I really do, but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it all the way. I don't write to get reviews, but I do hope you'll give me some this time; tell me what you think. Should I keep writing?_

_Okay, uncertainty aside. This story will follow the main lines of the movie (which I assume most of you have seen), but things will also be different. That means characters, plot lines, stuff like that. I think that's reasonable - and above all, necessary to keep everyone in character. I'll post a list of characters after I finished chapter 2 or something, I have to see about that. _

_I hope you've enjoyed it, and helpful reviews are - as always - really appreciated!_


	2. II Inside the Castle

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the notebook I wrote this in. **

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**

**The Beauty and the Beast  
**_Chapter II.  
Inside the Castle_

Katara couldn't remember having ever felt more terrible in her entire life. Everything important to her, everyone she cared for was lost; gone. First her mother, then Sokka, and now her father.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the rain as they fell to the ground. She just stood there, motionless in the rain for an unknown period of time. Then she straightened up. She couldn't let her emotions go on a free run now; she had to pull herself together and keep a clear mind.

She pulled Philippe into the stables, took off the saddle and tied him up with a fresh stack of hay. Then she trod up the steps to her house, lit the fire in the heard and walked to the bathroom. "Don't despair, Katara," she told herself sternly. "You can't jump to conclusions yet. He may still be alive."

After having dried herself, she sat down in a chair in front of the fire. Although she felt the heat flushing her cheeks, she still felt remarkably cold inside. She stared numbly into the flames, thinking hard. She knew she couldn't do anything before daybreak. The forest through which the road to the city lead was far too dangerous at night: The wolves there were vicious and she probably wouldn't even live to discover what had happened to her father. Besides, Philippe was still in shock and too tired to lead the way. No, she'd have to wait. In the morning, she was going to find her father: No matter what it'd take.

…

Even though she'd hardly closed an eye that night, Katara felt fresh and awake the next morning. She was over the first shock now, and after a bit of rest, she felt there was a good chance her father was still alive. The weather seemed to be on her side as well. The storm from that night had made way for a lovely, clear sky and the sun shone down warmly.

She packed everything in a hurry: A warm cloak, food and water for on the road and medicine in case her father was hurt. Philippe had calmed down enough to carry her on his back, although he was still trembling lightly and startled at every tiny noise or movement.

And so she left. Luckily, Philippe seemed to understand her motives, as he reluctantly led the way through the forest to where she assumed Hakoda must be. She found out the forest wasn't so frightening at daylight; it actually looked rather pretty. The leaves were falling off the trees, all tinted in different colors, and it was almost as magical as spring time. Katara smiled weakly and gave the horse an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "C'mon, boy," she said as they almost stood still on the path. "Take me to dad. Take me to Hakoda."

The journey was, even with Philippe's dawdling, much shorter than she had expected. Within twenty minutes, they reached what Katara figured must be the place where Philippe and her dad had parted ways, as Philippe was now shaking heavily and whinnying in a scared tone. And, in all honesty, Katara couldn't blame him when she was where they had come to a halt.

It was the castle.

Of all things Katara had expected the castle to look like, this wasn't it. She knew the place was supposed to be a cursed place (because that was something all the villagers agreed upon), but she had at least expected it to look beautiful. But this was undoubtedly the ugliest and most horrible building she had ever seen. The castle was huge and built out of a dark-grey type of stone, with statues of malicious-looking gargoyles and other dangerous animals everywhere. The towers were leaning and the glass in the windows was darkened, probably to prevent people from looking in. The fence around the building looked old and broken, making the whole sight very creepy.

Katara swallowed, straightened up and led Philippe through the broken fence. "You're safer on this side," she whispered to the horse as she closed the fence again. "Who knows what's out there to get you." _But who knows what's in _here_ to get us? _She shook her head. There was no chickening out now. Slowly, she walked to the gate. It wasn't any more welcoming than the rest of the castle. The doors were big and dark, with more sinister figures carved into the wood. She took a deep breath. Then she pushed the great door open.

"Hello?" She stepped inside, glancing around warily. "Is somebody home?" She silently closed the door and took a better look around. The inside of the castle was dark, but not quite as bad as she had expected it to be. Except from the gargoyles looming at her from the great staircase up ahead, the hall didn't look very threatening. There were many candles hung up against the walls and there was a big, red carpet on the floor. Against each wall stood several small tables with decorations on them; as Katara gave them a closer look, she saw they weren't even dusty. "Hello?" she called again. "Is someone in here?" She waited for a reply, which didn't come. "Dad?"

Suddenly, she heard a soft whispering behind her. "Hello?" She turned around. One of the doors leading to the hall was now open; that must have been where the voices came from. Pushing aside her fears, she walked through the door. "Dad, are you here?" Again, she heard the whispering, and this time, she also thought she saw a small light – a little like a candle. She walked through the stone hallway, into the direction the sound came from.

The voices kept coming from different places, leading her through open doors, up staircases and through long hallways. After a few minutes, she ended up in a cold, dark chamber. There were several holes in the ceiling, allowing light to fall in, and Katara realized she was up in one of the towers – the prison, by the looks of it. The cells were dark, small and empty. At the far end of the chamber stood the only candlestick she'd seen lit so far – throwing light upon a very familiar face.

"Katara…?"

Katara's eyes widened. "Dad?" She felt tears of relief burning in her eyes. "Dad, it's you!" She rushed over to the cell in the corner.

Hakoda looked at her through unbelieving eyes. "Katara, what are you doing here?" he croaked.

Katara knelt down in front of the bars. "I came looking for you," she whispered, blinking away the tears. "Oh dad, I'm so glad you're alive!"

But Hakoda didn't look glad at all. "You must leave at once!" he hissed. "It's not safe here! You have to leave!"

"Not without you," Katara said shakily. She wiped her tears on her sleeve. "How did you get here?" he asked huskily. "What happened to you? I was so scared, I thought you'd –" She sniffled and shook her head. "What happened?" she whispered urgently.

Hakoda sighed, a sign he was giving in. "I got lost," he said, tiredly rubbing his forehead. "I strayed through the forest until nightfall. Then the wolves came and chased us here. Philippe panicked and threw me off. I fled into the castle. Then before I knew it…" His voice trailed off and he coughed loudly.

"You're sick…" Katara grasped his hand. "We have to get you out immediately. I have medicine and a cloak with me, and I'll make you tea and – "

A strong hand grabbed her shoulder and threw her back against the wall. Hakoda shouted in shock as Katara grabbed her head and squinted; the candlestick had disappeared and whatever had grabbed her wasn't standing in the light.

"What are you doing in my castle?" The voice was deep and raw, and Katara shivered unwillingly. _The beast…? _

"I came to get my father back," she said in an unusually high-pitched voice.

"Your father is my prisoner," the voice growled. "He cannot leave."

Katara straightened up in her full, not-so-impressive size. "My father is sick!" she said, sounding a lot braver than she felt. "You have to let him go!"

"If he hadn't entered the castle, I would never have had a reason to capture him."

"How could he have known?" Katara demanded, feeling very helpless. "Everybody believes this castle to be empty, and he needed shelter!" She dropped to her knees, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot the voice came from. "Please let him go! He's sick, he needs help!"

"Leave," the voice said harshly. "Unless you want to be locked up as well."

"No!" Katara shook her head heavily. She studied the dark silhouette. "Step into the light," she then said. "Please."

There was a short silence. When the voice spoke again, he sounded slightly surprised. "Why would I do that?"

"So I can see you."

The voice grumbled; then, slowly, he stepped into the light falling through one of the holes.

Katara gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth. He wasn't a beast; yet it was easy to understand those who had mistaken him for one. He was a tall man, but only hardly so. His hair was jet-black; long and unruly, falling over his maimed face. His arms and legs were muscular, and covered in scars and scratches. The nails on his fingers were longer than usual, and his clothes were torn and dirty. It was his face that startled Katara the most: A deep red scar spread over the left part of his face, as if it had been badly burnt. This caused his left, amber-colored eye to be more of a slit, giving him an even more menacing look.

Katara took a deep breath. Then she stepped forward as well. "If I stay here in your prison, will you let my father go?" she asked, her voice steady and firm.

The man gave her a suspicious look. "You'd do that?" he asked, sounding mildly impressed.

"Katara, no!" Hakoda yelled, but Katara ignored him.

"Yes," she said breathlessly.

The man narrowed his eyes. Then he nodded. "Fine." He unlocked Hakoda's cell and pulled him out. "If that's what you want…" He roughly pushed Katara into the open cell. "Enjoy your stay." And he disappeared down the stairs, pulling a struggling Hakoda along.

"Wait!" Katara shouted after him, but there was no answer. Unable to hold back any longer, she dropped to the ground and broke down into sobs. The realization of what she had just done washed over her like a cold shower. She'd just crushed her own dreams into the ground; she'd never see anything more of the world than this damp cell for the rest of her life now. And she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to her father! Would he be all right on his own? He might very well just pine away, as she knew she would've done if she had left him here.

How much time passed, she didn't know. Tears kept flooding down her cheeks, and she couldn't hold them in. She didn't even try to, either; after all, she had every right to cry when she was going to be locked up in a place like this forever.

"Is that the girl?"

"I think so."

"Rather emotional, isn't she?"

"Wouldn't you be if you were in her place?"

"Personally, I'd rather be in her place than mine."

Katara blinked. Was she just imagining things, or had she really heard whispering? She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked around. She couldn't see anyone. "Is someone here?" she asked, sounding as if she had a nasty cold.

She heard a small snort. "Not very bright, is she?" a voice said. "Down here, Sugar Queen."

Katara scanned the cell again for a source of the voices, and her eyes zeroed on two small teacups near the bars. She stared at the cups – _and the cups stared back._

"Hello!" said the cup with grey eyes and an orange pattern, and Katara shrieked.

"Y-y-you _talk?_"

"You think so?" the other cup with a green pattern said dryly. "Well, who knew? Maybe she's smarter than we gave her credit for." Her pale green eyes seemed to pierce right through her.

Katara shook her head. "That's impossible," she muttered. "I'm starting to see things." She closed her eyes and waited for a few seconds. But when she opened them again, the teacups hadn't disappeared.

"You scared her," said the orange-patterned cup reproachfully. He smiled brightly at Katara. "There were rumors of a girl in the castle downstairs, so we wanted to see if they were true," he explained cheerfully. "My name's Aang. Who are you?"

Katara's jaw dropped. "I-I-I-"

The green-patterned cup rolled her eyes. "Oh, good one, Twinkle Toes," she said sardonically. "No, she's definitely not scared anymore now."

The cup named Aang pouted. "Shut up, Toph."

"I'm Katara," Katara finally managed. She crept closer to the two cups, studying them as good as she could in the faint light. "Who – _what_ are you?"

"The kitchen staff," Toph grinned, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Don't tell me you didn't know? This castle is cursed, Sweetness."

Katara frowned slightly, and Aang quickly jumped in. "Don't pay attention to it – She nicknames everyone," he piped, giving his companion an annoyed glance. "She doesn't really mean it as an offense. Right?"

"Sure," Toph said carelessly. She turned her piercing gaze back on Katara. "So it's true, then?" she asked. "You're the girl Hothead has captured?"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Er… Who?"

"The beast boy, prince Zuko, the guy who threw you in here," the green-eyed teacup said impatiently. "Is that true?"

"I guess you could say that," Katara said, eyeing the two doubtfully. The cups exchanged a short glance, and Katara desperately tried to get a better look at them. She briefly wondered if her father had seen these strange cups as well; she was sure he'd have loved them. Suddenly, a question popped into her head, something she had been wondering ever since she'd been in this cell. "Were you the ones that lead me up here?"

Both of them gave her a puzzled look. "Sorry?"

"When I entered the castle, I heard voices," Katara clarified quickly. "They brought me to my father. Was that you?"

Aang shook his head. "Not us," he said, still looking puzzled.

"That must've been Iroh and Snoozles," Toph said shrugging.

"They were in the hall at that time," Aang agreed. "And Iroh would want to help, don't you think?"

Katara had no idea what they were talking about, but the fact that someone had tried to help her slightly cheered her up; it made her feel a little less lonely.

"We have to go," Aang said suddenly. "We're kind of not supposed to be up here, you know." He looked at Katara with pleading eyes. "You won't tell aunt Wu, will you?"

"Of course not," Katara promised. She couldn't if she wanted to, any way; she had no idea who – or what – this aunt Wu person was.

Aang sighed in relief. "Good, because she'd probably be mad if she found out we were here."

"Yeah, and I'd rather Hothead doesn't know, either," Toph nodded and Aang shivered lightly. "See you, Sugar Queen."

"Wait," Katara said hastily as they started hopping away. She didn't want to be left alone again. "Will someone else come up here?" she asked eagerly. "You know… someone who can talk or something?"

Aang nodded. "Of course," he said. "You'll have to eat and all. Aunt Wu would never let you starve."

Katara wanted to ask many more questions, but they'd already left; she could hear them quietly rattling down the stairs. Sighing, she slumped back against the wall. She felt a little better now, but also rather odd. She rubbed her forehead. "Katara, what have you gotten yourself in to?"

…

"Well, who would ever have thought that?" The teapot hopped around on the mantelpiece, her eyes gleaming enthusiastically. "A girl in the castle!"

The tall man gave her a gruff look and turned away. "So what?" He stalked to the other side of the room, his back to the fire.

The candlestick shook his head; wax dripping down as he did. "Prince Zuko, you should not be so cold," he sighed. "I say we give her a proper chamber."

The man raised his eyebrow. "Why that?" he demanded. The girl was a _prisoner_; prisoners were supposed to be locked up in cells, not given proper chambers.

"She can't stay in that tower forever, can she?" the teapot said sharply. "No, I agree with Iroh. We have to make her at home."

"Exactly," the candlestick nodded. "The girl just did a very brave thing, and now she is going through a difficult time." He turned back to Zuko, who was still in the back of the room. "She should at least be offered some comfort."

Zuko just grunted. "I don't care."

"She could get sick in there!" the teapot frowned at him. "Is that what you want?"

"I told you, I don't care!" Zuko repeated in an exasperated voice. How much clearer could he be?

"The poor girl deserves better than this," Iroh told him, igniting his left candle again, which had gone out.

"I agree with aunt Wu and Mr. Iroh," the pendulum clock in the corner of the room spoke up for the first time. "She can't stay there." Zuko narrowed his eyes at him and he cringed.

"See?" The teapot turned her sternest look on him. "If even our clock agrees with us…"

Groaning, Zuko gave in. "Fine!" he snapped, and all three of them took a step backwards. "Uncle, give her whatever room she wants – "

"I shall do that," Iroh said with a small bow.

"And… just keep her away from me!!" He stalked out of the room, angrily slamming the door behind him.

"Charming man, don't you think?" the clock said, frowning.

The teapot and the candlestick ignored him. "We must make sure she is taken good care of," Iroh told the other two. "Now, we have this beautiful room in the east wing. Do you think she would like it?"

"Oh, lovely!" aunt Wu gushed. She whirled around on her base. "It's been ages since we've had a guest! I'll go alert the kitchen staff immediately! We'll make her a dinner like she's never had before!"

"And it's not even mid-day yet," the clock said, shaking his head. He glanced around doubtfully. "Do you really think she's the one?" he asked in a hushed voice. "I mean, the master doesn't really seem interested… Aunt Wu, please watch what you're doing!" he added, jumping aside as the teapot started spraying tea around.

"Tea should not be spilled," Iroh said sadly.

Aunt Wu giggled. "I'm sorry…" She stood still again and looked thoughtfully ahead of her. "Well," she finally said, "I think it'll be difficult… And it'll need time… But there's a chance, isn't there?"

"I know my nephew is not the easiest person –"

"He certainly isn't, no," the clock huffed. "Look what he brought upon us!"

"But I am certain there is still good inside him," Iroh continued calmly. "The young miss seems to be a smart and kind girl." A smile cracked upon his face. "Yes, I believe she might be able to break the curse."

* * *

_A/N: I decided to keep the movie concept of 'castle staff turned into magical objects'; just because it's really fun. Also, please don't flame me for the characters I picked to match the objects. I'm actually kind of happy with the ones I chose, and I'm definitely not going to change them (I also have my reasons for picking the objects, but that comes later)._

_So all that aside; Any reviews will, as always, be very much apreciated. Thank you very much for reading!_


	3. III Family Matters

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything but my notebook, which is good enough for me.**

* * *

**

**The Beauty and the Beast  
**_Chapter III.  
Family Matters_

Katara woke with a start. "W-what?" She rubbed her eyes and stretched her limbs. She hadn't even noticed falling asleep; apparently, she was more tired than she thought.

From the cold, stone floor, several big eyes were looking up at her, each pair of them belonging to an equally odd object. The teapot nudged the clock in the side. "You must've woken her up!" she hissed accusingly.

Irritably, the clock rubbed his new sore spot. "Did not," he said defensively.

"It was nobody's fault," the candlestick came between both. The flames of the candles on his head and hands threw a flickering light against the walls.

Katara watched the small spectacle with interest. Now that she'd gotten over the first shock, she found the talking objects very intriguing; not at all scary.

The candlestick turned his face towards her and smiled warmly. "Our apologies for the rough… eh, welcome this morning," he said solemnly.

"Yes, we do hope you can forgive us, dear," the teapot added.

"Er… sure," Katara said, a little surprised. "Of course."

"Good!" the candlestick beamed. "I'm glad." He hopped out of the small cell, which, Katara now noticed, was wide open. "Come along then, young miss," he said kindly.

Katara brushed the loose her out of her face. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The teapot hopped after the candlestick, beckoning Katara to come. "We'll show you to your room, of course," she said. "First thing to do is to get your comfortable. Iroh picked a great room for you, very big, but cosy…"

"My- my room?" Katara felt her jaw drop. Now she was getting her own room?

"Yes, your room," the clock said impatiently, and Katara thought he sounded vaguely familiar for a moment. "Or would you rather stay here?"

"No!" Katara said quickly, scrambling to her feet. "No I wouldn't!"

"Didn't think so," the clock smirked. He went after the other two objects, Katara hot on his heels. "Wait up for a bit! Aunt Wu, Mr. Iroh!"

They walked through great halls, in which the candles were now lit. Katara didn't know where to look; she'd never seen anything like this before. There were paintings on the walls and harnesses on each side of the hall, and several times she thought she saw eyes looking at her from the most peculiar places. The candlestick, the teapot and the clock led the way, chattering cheerfully and stopping every now and then to let Katara catch up again.

They finally came to a halt in front of a rather big, ornate door. "Here we are, dear!" the teapot said briskly. "Come on, then, go in!"

Feeling very nervous with all the excited eyes piercing into her back, Katara reached for the doorknob and carefully opened the door. The room she came in to was – there was no other word for it – stunning. It was big and bright, with a great window overlooking the garden in the back. There was a big four-poster bed in the center of the room, with soft-looking blankets and tons of pillows. The carpet was fluffy and from the ceiling hung a beautiful chandelier, which was fully lit. In the corner of the room stood a big wardrobe, opposite a small desk and a big mirror. Awed, she looked around, completely at loss for words.

The candlestick gave her a hopeful look. "Well?"

A wide smile cracked on Katara's face. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, whirling around on one foot and trying to see as much of the room as she could at once. She dropped down on the bed, sending the pillows flying into the air. "I can't believe you did this all for me! Thank you _so_ much, mister… miss…" She gave the three of them a questioning look.

"Iroh," said the candlestick with a deep bow.

"Just call me aunt Wu, dear, everybody does," the teapot smiled warmly.

The clock only rubbed is hands together gloatingly. "Told you she'd like this room, didn't I?" he said proudly. "Katara likes things warm and cosy, but spacious if she can get it. Didn't I tell you?"

Katara squinted at him. She hadn't imagined it before; there really _was_ something familiar about this clock. "Do I know you?" she asked hesitantly.

"I certainly hope you still do," the clock snorted, twisting his pointers between his fingers. "I mean, just because I've been gone for some years – which I never meant to do, by the way, it was just – "

Katara's mouth fell open. Suddenly, it was all so obvious; she didn't understand why she hadn't seen it before. "_Sokka!_" She leapt off the bed, dropped to her knees, grabbed the clock and crushed him into a hug. "It's you! It's really you!" And she broke down into sobs.

Sokka struggled and squirmed in her arms. "Stop it… Katara!" he gasped. "Can't… breathe_…_"

Aunt Wu giggled quietly and hopped to the door. "I'll go get you some tea, honey," she said. "Is there any flavour you prefer?"

Iroh's eyes lightened up. "You should make the jasmine tea," he said, hopping after her through the open door. "It is truly delicious…"

"Oh, really," aunt Wu chuckled as she closed the door again. "_You_ should have been the teapot…"

"_Katara!_" Sokka finally managed to free himself from her embrace, wobbling on his legs.

Katara sniffled loudly and blew her nose in the sleeve of her dress. "I'm s-sorry," she hiccupped. "I'm just s-s-so glad you're a-alive!"

"Well, if you'd held on to me like that any longer, I wouldn't have been anymore," the clock said, still gasping for breath. Then he smiled. "But I'm glad to see you too, sis."

Katara smiled weakly. "Thanks," she sniffled. She could hardly believe what was happening. She had never, ever given up believing that her brother might still be alive somewhere, but she'd never expected to see him back like this – and certainly not in this form. "What happened to you, Sokka?" she asked quietly. "One day, you were just gone, and now you're a - a clock, and… Oh, what happened in all those years?"

"Er- yes- well…" Sokka looked down at the rest of his body uncomfortably. "The clock thing – er – really inconvenient – not my idea – well – let's sit down," he then said, pointing at the bed.

Katara nodded, got up from the ground and sat down on her bed. She bent over to help her brother, but he refused to let her do so.

"That's okay; I've got it," he said, jumping up and down to try to get hold of the sheets.

Katara sighed. Clock or not, he hadn't changed a bit over the years; he had always been very stubborn. She watched him hopping like mad for a bit longer before giving him a hand anyway. "You have to tell me everything," she said, putting him down on a fluffy red pillow. "How did this happen? Let's start with that."

Nodding, Sokka sunk a little deeper into the pillow, making himself comfortable. "I don't know exactly how it started," he began, speaking slowly and carefully picking his words. "I just know what I've been told. Five years ago, some old beggar woman asked for shelter and the castle and Zuko – that's the guy who threw you in that tower – denied her. Well, turned out that was a bad idea, 'cause she really was an enchantress and now she was angry. So she placed a curse on the castle: Our master was turned into this really ugly human being, and the castle staff became… all sorts of things, really." He paused for a moment, and Katara seized that moment to ask another question.

"But how come no one knows about this?" she demanded. "The castle has been searched numerous times, and no one ever saw anything!" She couldn't help but feel a little angry. She'd been told her brother was dead for all those years and had half believed those tales. Now he'd already proven he had no trouble walking and talking; why hadn't he come to visit them? Let them know he was all right?

"That's one of the things we discussed after it happened," Sokka continued, getting up and walking in circles on the sheets. "Me, Iroh and aunt Wu, that is, though a few others had things to say as well. We finally agreed that it would be better not to let anyone know about us – "

"Why that?" Katara cut in angrily. "Everyone's been terribly worried – we thought you were dead! And how could no one have seen you while searching the castle? It's not like you're not –"

She'd wanted to say 'noticeable', but Sokka had proven her wrong before she could. He straightened up, put his hands in his side and closed his eyes, and suddenly he wasn't Sokka anymore, but an ordinary, ornate pendulum clock. "See?" he said, popping an eye open. "You're forgetting that we look like very ordinary objects. No one's gonna notice us unless we give ourselves away." He smirked smugly at the sight of Katara's open mouth. Then he started walking around again. "Just think, Katara. What do you think those villagers would have done if they found a couple of talking feather dusters calling themselves their relatives?"

Katara slumped. It made sense, of course. No one would've believed them; they would have thought it was the devil's work and burnt them all. "I know," she sighed, leaning back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "It's just… there are the weirdest stories going around, you know? About a beast coming to the castle and eating everyone inside? Not many people believe that one anymore, but…"

To her surprise, Sokka grinned. "Yes, some people accidentally caught a glimpse of Zuko when they were sneaking around," he sniggered. "Scared the wits out of them, of course… He's not exactly friendly-looking… never mind his temper."

That he indeed wasn't, Katara mentally agreed. She'd never seen a more horrid-looking person in her entire life. Then another question occurred to her. "Did dad see you?" she asked softly. "While he was here?"

The grin faded from Sokka's face, and he stopped pacing around. "He saw me," he said slowly. "Or at least, I think he did. But I don't think he realised it was me. I didn't get a chance to talk to him." He suddenly looked sad, and Katara placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Poor dad," she whispered. "I hope he's okay… He's all alone now…"

Sokka shook off the sad look and pulled himself together again. "I'm sure he's okay," he said confidently. "He's strong. He'll get through."

"Hmm-mm." She wasn't fully convinced, but there wasn't much she could do about it anyway. "So what about this curse?" she wanted to know, sitting up again. "Can it be broken?"

Sokka looked hesitant. "Well…" he stammered. "Maybe… yeah…"

Before he could say anything more, the door burst open and aunt Wu hopped in again, this time accompanied by several cups, pots and a tray with pastries. "Here we are again, dear!" she said cheerfully as the tray slid forward and halted in front of Katara's feet. "You must be hungry, after missing lunch. How do you like your tea, do you want milk or sugar?" She bent over to pour tea into a cup, but it yelped loudly and jumped aside.

"Not me!" she spluttered, and Katara recognised the green pattern. "Take this one, here!" She pushed forward another, orange-patterned cup, but it quickly hoped back again.

"No, no, no, no!" he said, shaking his head heavily. "That's not funny, Toph! Here, we brought an ordinary cup, use that one…"

"Honestly, you two!" aunt Wu huffed, pouring her tea into the third cup that had come along, which didn't struggle. "If you're not going to help, just stay in the cupboard! Would you like any milk or sugar, dear?" she asked kindly, looking up at Katara.

"Just a little sugar, please," Katara replied politely.

"Great!" the sugar pot beamed, startling Katara as she zoomed over and started scooping sugar into the cup. Her eyes strayed off to Sokka, who had gotten off the bed and was now talking animatedly to the wardrobe. "Oooh…" She smiled coyly. "Hello there, Sokka!"

"Uhm…" Sokka looked rather uncomfortable, his eyes shooting between the sugar pot and the now irritable-looking wardrobe. "Hi there, Ty Lee…"

"Ho!" Katara said, waving her hands as a signal for the sugar pot to stop. "That's enough sugar!" Actually, it was too much, but she didn't want to be impolite.

"Oops." Ty Lee quickly stopped. "Sorry!" She hopped away from the cup again, her eyes still fixed on Sokka.

"There now," aunt Wu said briskly. "Drink up, drink up! Do you want anything to eat? We have cherry pie, chocolate gateau, apple cake…"

Carefully, Katara bent over to pick up the teacup. "I don't know," she said truthfully. "They all look delicious."

"Well, whichever ones you don't want, I'll take!" Sokka called over. "Save me the cream pie, it's heavenly…"

"Sokka!" the wardrobe hissed. "Don't be so rude to our guest – I don't care if she's your sister or not!"

Aunt Wu only glared at him distastefully and nudged the apple cake towards Katara. "This is my personal favourite," she told her. "But please feel free to try them all! How's the tea? I don't know your favourite, so I picked jasmine. Iroh's very fond of it…"

"Oh, it's very good," Katara nodded, nipping at her tea as she picked up the small plate. "Tell Mr. Iroh he has a great taste for me when you see him."

"Is she really your sister, Snoozles?" Toph asked, studying her from head to toe. "She's much prettier than you are."

Sokka scowled, and Ty Lee yelped indignantly, "He's not!"

Aunt Wu, however, nodded in agreement. "She has much better manners, at least," she said resolutely. "Yours, by the way, aren't very good either, young lady." She frowned sternly at Toph.

Katara blushed, and put her teacup and emptied plate down again. "Thank you," she said as aunt Wu offered her the strawberry cake next. She turned to Sokka. "Were you really the one who led me to dad, Sokka?" she asked, recalling Toph having used the nickname 'Snoozles' before.

"What?" Sokka stumbled over the carpet and looked at her with surprise. "How- how'd you know that?" he stammered.

"Aang and Toph told me," Katara said, gesturing at the two cups. "They said you and Mr. Iroh – oh!" She pressed her hand against her mouth; she'd promised not to tell anyone they'd visited her up in the tower. _There you go, spilling the beans again,_ she thought reproachfully. She gave the two cups an apologising smile.

Aang and Toph looked apprehensive, their gaze flickering between Katara and aunt Wu. Aunt Wu narrowed her eyes at them. "We'll talk about that later," she sighed. "Look at the time! We have to get dinner started. Will you eat in your room or – "

"I'll eat in my room!" Katara said immediately. She flushed, realising how impolite she'd just sounded, and looked down at the floor. "I'd rather just eat here, please," she stammered, embarrassed.

A disappointed look crossed the teapot's face, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "Then we'll take your supper up here," she smiled. "Sokka, come along; I need a clock." One by one, the crockery hopped through the open door. "Watch your step, Ty Lee, dear… Aang, don't dawdle!" Aunt Wu nudged the milk can through the door last and then followed the others herself. "We'll be back in the evening," she told Katara, and closed the door.

Katara kicked off her shoes and lay back down on the bed. Now that everyone was gone again, she suddenly felt really alone in such a big place; the thoughts of her father only made it worse. For all he knew, she was still stuck in that tower, and she knew he'd be worried sick. All alone at home… Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks again. He didn't even know Sokka was still alive; if he did, he would definitely feel better – or at least, she would.

"Are you all right?" a kind voice asked.

Katara startled; she had forgotten all about the wardrobe. "Yes," she sniffled, quickly drying her eyes on a pillow. She put on a weak smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Oh, good." The wardrobe smiled back. "It's Katara, isn't it?" she then asked, studying her curiously.

"Yeah," Katara nodded. She stared back at the wardrobe with similar interest. "My brother seems to like you," she then said. "What's your name?"

The wardrobe turned faintly red. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that," she sighed, looking down rather sadly. "We're friends and all, but he's like this with every girl in the castle. I'm not as pretty as Ty Lee is… or was," she corrected herself. "She's a sugar pot now, of course. Oh, I'm Suki, by the way."

Katara gave her an empathising look. "Yes, he always was a flirt when we were younger," she agreed. "So you're Suki? It's really great to meet you! You know, Sokka used to tell us all about you."

Suki looked taken-aback. "He did?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah! In the beginning, he just complained about you being bossy and grouchy and annoying – "

"_Me_? He was the annoying one!" Suki protested indignantly. "Always patronizing me, thinking I couldn't do anything by myself… I would _never_ have become a dressing maid if they'd only allow women to become warriors…"

"But he became much more positive after a while!" Katara continued quickly. "I think he really respected you. He always said he wanted to bring you home one time so we could meet you. Of course, it never came to that, but… Well, you get the picture." She curled her arms underneath her head, glancing at Suki from the corner of her eye.

The wardrobe didn't say anything in return, but appeared a little more cheerful when she spoke again. "Well, I hope you'll get comfortable here," she said brightly. "It's good to have someone human around again, you know. I have a good feeling about you."

Katara chuckled. "Thank you."

…

Even though the entire castle staff was terribly excited with Katara's coming to the castle, Zuko didn't feel any different at all. If anything, he felt more grumpy than usual. There was a girl in the castle. _So what?_ There were tons of girls in the castle already; all in the form of funny objects, all right, but that was beside the point. He just didn't get what was to big deal about it – well, he did, but he just didn't care.

His uncle did, though.

"You do not seem very happy with Miss Katara's arrival," he said, watching as his nephew stalked around the room in circles.

"Good observation," Zuko grumbled. He gave his uncle an annoyed glance. "Once again; why should I?"

"Because," his uncle grinned broadly, "she might be the one to lift the curse! Don't tell me you haven't thought of that!"

"I don't care." It was no use caring about it. There was no way this girl was any different from the other girls.

Iroh shook his head. "Prince Zuko, you need to give her a chance," he said gently. "Do you remember the curse that enchantress put upon you?"

Zuko grunted. "It's kind of hard to ignore." His eyes strayed towards the small table in the corner of the room. A big jar was placed upon it, covering a single rose, which emitted a soft glow.

"_If you can learn to truly love someone_," Iroh recited, "_and she can learn to love you in return; only then, the curse can be broken. But if this does not happen before the rose has lost its last petal, the curse will last forever._"

Zuko sighed and turned away. "What does it matter?" he mumbled, tracing the great scar on his face with his fingers. "She's just like everyone else. There's no chance."

Iroh gave him a grave look. "It is entirely your decision," he said calmly. "But do not doubt too long. The first petal has already fallen; in half a year, the curse will become permanent." He inclined his head and left the room.

Groaning, Zuko slumped into a chair. Why would he even try to lift the curse? There was no chance anyway. How could a girl – even a simple peasant girl like the one he came across – ever fall for a monster like him?

* * *

_A/N: There you go: Chapter 3. I actually finished this quite a while ago, but I couldn't find time to upload it, so... I'm still editing chapter 4, but at least I've already finished typing that one._

_This chapter was mainly to get a few things cleared up and out of the way. Promises: More Zuko/Katara interaction in the next chapter (well, sort of, anyway). :) _

_Thanks very much for the read!_


	4. IV The Dinner

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I own neither Avatar nor Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**

**The Beauty and the Beast  
**_Chapter IV.  
The Dinner_

"That went really well, don't you think?" aunt Wu said brightly. She hopped around on the counter, pushing the lined-up cups, plates and other kitchen utensils into the tub in the sink one by one.

Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Are you kidding me?" he said. "She's probably still in her room, crying her eyes out…"

Aunt Wu shot him an annoyed glance. "And why shouldn't she?" she said sharply. "The poor girl might very well never see her father again! No, I think she's taking it all very well; much better than most people in her position would."

"You're just saying that because she liked your dinner," Sokka said accusingly. "You – HEY!" Aunt Wu gave him a hard thrust in his back, and he tumbled forwards into the tub. "Why'd you do that?" he shrieked, trying to get out. "I get all mouldy in water!"

"Oh, don't be such a drama king," aunt Wu huffed. She was now trying to get Toph into the sink as well, but she was putting up quite a fight.

"Don't-want-!" she said muffled, trying to escape the teapot's grasp.

"Come on now, it's only water!" said aunt Wu exasperatedly.

"I _hate_ water!" Toph protested.

Aang raised an eyebrow at her from in the sink. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously. Then a grin cracked on his face. "You're not _scared_, are you?"

That did the trick. Toph gave him a furious look, allowed aunt Wu to shove her into the tub and proceeded to push Aang underwater.

Shaking her head, aunt Wu bended over and allowed Sokka to pull himself up using her spout. "Oh, Iroh, there you are!" she said, turning to face the approaching candlestick. "How's the master?"

"Stubborn, as always," Iroh sighed. "But he may be more reasonable after a good night's sleep. In the meantime, we have a few matters that need to be discussed." He cleared his throat. "First of all, I believe it would be best if Miss Katara is not informed of the only way to break the curse," he stated. "She and my nephew are not on the best of grounds right now, and it will not improve our chances."

"I agree," aunt Wu nodded. "Did everyone hear that?" she yelled through the kitchen. "Do _not_ tell her!"

"Don't worry; we won't," Aang said solemnly as aunt Wu gave them a specifically threatening look. "We want the curse lifted as much as everyone else here."

Sokka looked gruff. "Bleh," he said, wrinkling his nose. "I can't believe Katara will have to put up with that grouchy git… No offence," he added with a quick glance at Iroh.

Iroh shrugged. "None taken; don't worry about it."

Aunt Wu didn't say anything, but looked at Sokka with a gleam in her eyes that clearly said she didn't think he was in a position to be calling anyone else a grouchy git. Then she turned back to Iroh. "What else do we need to discuss?" she wanted to know.

Iroh grinned widely. "Oh, that can wait," he said. "As for now, let's just work on lifting that curse…"

…

When Katara woke up next morning, she couldn't help but feel the excitement boiling up inside her. The sunlight fell brightly through the great window, allowing her a beautiful view into the garden, which looked fairy-like in its autumn colours. Suki appeared to have done some browsing overnight and had a new dress ready for her – the same shade of blue as her old one, but far more sophisticated – as her old one had gotten rather dirty in the tower. After she had freshened up and changed into her new dress, breakfast (which looked more like a smaller version of dinner) was already waiting for her at the door, along with Iroh, who had come to invite her for a tour around the castle after she'd finished eating. Eager to see more of the place, she accepted, and gobbled down her breakfast in a tempo she believed only Sokka could match.

The castle was, without doubt, the most intriguing place Katara had ever seen. The halls were bright and beautiful, and as were the chambers; though she also thought everything would look a lot better without the statues of monstrous beasts looming in every corner. The most interesting were the enchanted objects: The moving harnesses, giggling feather dusters, self-lightening candles and automatically moving trolleys. Iroh and Sokka led the way, pointing at everything criss-cross the rooms and giving explanations for anything they thought interesting. Aang and Toph had also come along, but Katara didn't think they had asked permission to do so. Both were very fidgety, and disappeared behind Katara whenever they heard something coming.

"Are all of the objects here enchanted people?" Katara asked, running to catch up with the others after lingering to look at a painting.

"Nah, not all are," Sokka shook his head.

"They are all enchanted, though, make no mistake," Iroh said, gesturing vaguely to his right to bring another painting to their attention. "But most just aren't human."

"How can you tell the difference?" Katara wanted to know.

"Well, the humans among us can talk," Aang explained, hopping backwards to face Katara. "Remember that cup we gave you yesterday? It moved around and all, but didn't talk. Not many cups and plates are human, but a lot of tea- and sugar pots are."

"And you're not going to meet a feather duster here that doesn't giggle and gossip," Toph nodded as they passed another pair of them.

"None of the harnesses are human, though." Sokka glared at the ones behind him and they quickly straightened their heads again. "But they're _very_ nosy," he said distastefully.

Katara chuckled. "So what's the reason you turned into the objects you are now?" she then asked. She'd wondered that for a while now; she thought it might have something to do with their tasks, but it just didn't make sense for some of the objects she'd seen.

"Most of us turned into something that has to do with our work here," Sokka said. "See, nearly everyone of the kitchen staff became either crockery or another kind of kitchen utensil; the cook turned into a stove, a lot of maids turned into feather dusters, brooms and other things like that…"

"What about you and Iroh?"

"As Zuko's royal advisor and uncle, I could be seen as his light," Iroh said gracefully, lightening the candles on his hands and head. "I provide him with guidance and advice, and comfort when he needs it."

"And as a butler, my timing is very important," Sokka said, proudly polishing the glass door before his pendulum.

"Yeah, and you were always late and needed help with that," Toph said, earning her a scowl from Sokka.

Katara sniggered and followed them in silence as they continued to tell about the castle again. When they passed a big and impressive-looking staircase, she slowed to a stop. Confused, she looked at the others. "Aren't we going up there?" she asked. "It looks beautiful."

Iroh and Sokka exchanged a quick glance. "That leads to my nephew's room," Iroh said slowly. "However, I do not think he would really appreciate visitors…"

Katara wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I don't even want to see his room," she snorted. "Don't worry about that." Her eyes gleamed as they continued the tour. "Is that Zuko really your _nephew_, Mr. Iroh?"

…

For Zuko, the morning was not quite as good. He'd had a very bad night's sleep, and Iroh had woken him up again at six o'clock, telling him to 'rise and shine'. How he was supposed to that at that hour, he didn't know; but as he was wide awake by then anyway, he'd gotten up. Then he'd gone down for breakfast; he'd ordered it upstairs at first, but aunt Wu said they were too busy preparing for the girl and told him to wait in the dining room. This hadn't improved his spirits, to say the least. She was already being treated far too well in his opinion, but now his own servants were putting a peasant girl above _him_; their master? That was preposterous. He'd have to have a word about that with his staff when they had a moment.

Unfortunately, they didn't have a moment. Now that breakfast was through, aunt Wu had started lunch. She was already in a bad mood because her two helps had run off, and she only told him off for trying to be rude to their guest. In the meantime, Iroh and Sokka had dedicated themselves to showing the peasant girl around the castle in a very detailed tour, and his uncle told him that unless he wanted to come along, he didn't have time for him. So he'd just gone back to his room to sulk all on his own.

It wasn't until the early afternoon that his uncle and his other two staff members finally came to see him, and when they did, they had the most ridiculous proposition he'd ever heard.

"Invite the girl to dinner."

He gazed at his staff with a mixture of disgust and astonishment. "You want me to do _what_?"

"Invite the girl to dinner!" aunt Wu repeated impatiently. Her bad mood had all but disappeared, and Zuko could only assume she was still two helps short.

"I will _not _invite this peasant girl to dinner!" he spat out.

Sokka swell up with anger. "Don't talk about my sister like that!" he huffed. Zuko gave him a menacing look and he cringed. "Apologies, master," he mumbled, though he still looked mortally offended.

"You will need to work on that temper," Iroh said. "She would not like it if you yelled at her over dinner."

Zuko looked simply furious. Didn't they know the meaning of 'no'? "I told you, I won't - "

"Oh, yes you will!" aunt Wu snapped. She returned Zuko's death glare with one to match. "As a matter of fact, you will go down immediately and ask her yourself! Sokka, where is she now?" She turned to Sokka, and Zuko couldn't blame him for retreating several steps.

"H-her room, I think," he stammered nervously.

Aunt Wu nodded and turned back to Zuko. "You will go down to her room right now and – _oh!_" Her eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. "Of course, there they are! Oh, I could just hit myself…"

"No she couldn't," Sokka whispered to Iroh. "She doesn't have _hands_!"

"Oh, those two!" aunt Wu fumed. "Always fooling around together, secretly sneaking away when they're needed…" Muttering to herself, she hopped out of the room, leaving Zuko alone with Iroh and Sokka.

Iroh smiled broadly up at his nephew. "Well, that is settled, then," he said cheerfully. "You will go down and ask Miss Katara to dine with you! Now, if you just ask nicely, I am sure she will agree to come…"

Zuko highly doubted that, but decided to just give in. It was unlikely they would give up if he didn't at least try; he knew that. So the plan was simple: The girl would deny the request, and he could go back to ignoring her presence.

Of course, he realized later, he should have known better.

"Come on," Iroh urged him enthusiastically as they stood before her room. "Don't be nervous!"

Zuko didn't think his reasons for not wanting to do this had anything to do with nerves, but chose to ignore his uncle. Reluctantly, he knocked on her door.

Inside, Katara looked up surprised. "Yes?" she called. "Who's there?"

She immediately recognised the deep grunt that replied. "It's me."

Aunt Wu also seemed to recognise the voice, as she stopped telling Aang and Toph off and started listening eagerly.

Apprehensively, Katara got up from the bed. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering," Zuko said through clenched teeth, "if you'd join me for supper tonight."

"No thanks," came Katara's cool reply. "I'll eat in my room."

Zuko sighed in relief and started to leave, but Iroh and Sokka blocked the way, both of them giving him a stern look. He grunted, shook his head and walked back to the door. "I would be honoured if you'd be my guest tonight," he grumbled, unable to keep his voice from sounding sarcastic.

Katara snorted and turned away from the door. "I said no thanks." Aunt Wu frowned at her and she raised her eyebrows. "What?" she mouthed silently.

On the other side of the door, Zuko looked at his uncle in exasperation. "See? She doesn't want to!" he hissed. "Can I go now?"

Iroh and Sokka nodded at each other. Then Sokka stepped forward and gestured for Zuko to lower his head. "Try this," he whispered.

Zuko frowned at the instructions, but caught his uncle's eye again and cleared his throat. "It would be my greatest delight," he started, reciting what he'd just been told and feeling very stupid, "if you could bring up the amiability to give me the pleasure of your company at dinner tonight…" He noticed Iroh and Sokka frown, and reluctantly added, "Please."

"Come on, dear, give him a chance!" aunt Wu whispered urgently. She gave Katara a pleading look.

Katara bit her lip. Then she sighed. "All right," she said. "I'll come."

Iroh and Sokka grinned victoriously, and Zuko felt a sudden urge to smack his head against the wall.

…

As dinnertime approached, Suki busied herself with putting together Katara's outfit. She had lined out ten different dresses behind her doors, and was holding them next to Katara one by one. "Blue is definitely your colour," she said doubtfully. "But red agrees with you as well, and white would be beautiful too…"

"Suki, it doesn't really matter," Katara assured her, pushing aside the magenta dress the wardrobe was now holding up. "I'll just wear the dress I'm wearing now, it's fancy enough." That, and she didn't really feel like looking special for Zuko, she thought grudgingly.

"I'm guessing you've never been to a royal dinner, have you?" Toph shook her head. "You can't go down looking like that, Sugar Queen."

Aang nodded in agreement, and Katara scowled. Because aunt Wu had been so overjoyed she agreed to dinner, she'd let her two helps off without punishment and even allowed them to stay with Katara while she was getting ready. And although Katara usually enjoyed the company, she now really wished everyone would just give her a rest.

Suki, seemingly reading her thoughts off her face, gave her an empathizing look. "It's okay if you don't know much about this kind of thing, you know," she said. "I didn't understand it at all when I first came here, either. But you'll get used to it soon enough."

"Yeah, Katara!" Aang smiled encouragingly. "It's just something you have to grow into. I didn't get most things at first either."

"Yeah, you mistook aunt Wu's new skirt of a towel and used it to clean out the pot," Toph sniggered. "She wasn't very pleased with you."

Aang turned a brilliant shade of pink. "That was an accident," he objected. "I had only worked here for two days… Oh, come on!" he whined, as Toph only laughed harder. "It happened nine years ago - I was seven!"

Katara couldn't fight back a loud giggle and pressed her hand against her mouth. "Thanks guys," she said muffled. "I'll try."

Suki smiled warmly. "I don't think white would be a good idea for dinner," she then said, putting the white dress back on a clothes hanger. "I'm thinking red. Are you good with that?"

Half an hour later, Katara hesitantly left her room. Sokka was already waiting for her in the hall, and led her to the dining room; he didn't look much happier than Katara, and they barely spoke to each other on the way down. When they arrived, Sokka opened the door with a gallant bow (which looked rather odd on a clock) and she walked inside.

If she thought last night's dinner was extensive, it was nothing compared to this. On the long table stood big plates and dishes full with the most delicious things she'd ever seen: Steak, roast beef, pork chops, fried chicken, boiled and roast potatoes, baked tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables, salads, and many other things she couldn't even recognise. Zuko was already there, sitting at the far end of the table. He didn't look as bad as she remembered him; although, she then thought, that might have something to do with the fact he had combed his hair for the first time in what had looked like several months. He had also put on clean and decent clothes; but he still wore his usual scowl, giving him the same grumpy look she'd gotten to know him with.

In turn, Zuko had to admit Katara looked little like the peasant girl he'd seen in the tower and more like a princess, in her long, red dress and neatly put-up hair. She looked very nervous, too, avoiding his eyes as she rushed to sit at the other far end of the table. Neither of them spoke, and just started piling foods on their plates without even so much as a glance at each other.

As time went by, Katara started to wonder why he'd even asked her to come and dine with him at all. It was obvious he really didn't want her here, and she would have rather avoided having anything to do with him as well. She'd noticed Sokka, Iroh and aunt Wu were all present too, but they were on the other side of the table, whispering to each other and, occasionally, to Zuko.

This was all very much to Zuko's annoyance. "What do you want me to do?" he hissed to his uncle. "It's clear she wants to leave as bad as I do!"

"Talk to her!" Iroh urged him quietly. "Ask her how she likes her food!"

Zuko groaned. Then, figuring there was nothing to loose anyway, he asked her. "How do you like the dinner?"

Katara looked up surprised. "It's good," she replied.

Zuko turned back to his uncle for assistance.

"Ask her how she likes the castle!" aunt Wu whispered.

Zuko sighed. "How do you like the castle?" he then asked gruffly.

"It's really nice, I guess," Katara shrugged. "A little intimidating, maybe." She gave him a suspicious look. "Why are you asking me all this?"

"I'm only trying to be polite." It came out with a stronger sneer than he'd intended, and Katara scowled.

"Well, pardon me for asking," she scoffed. He didn't reply, but only continued to stare off into the distance with a surly look on his face. She continued to eat for a while, growing more annoyed as the time passed, and finally turned her eyes back at him. "Why don't you just let me go?" she demanded. "It's obvious you don't like having me here."

Zuko cocked an eyebrow. "Of course I don't," he said coolly. "But we made an agreement, and I'm not planning to cancel on my part."

"You imprisoned my father for no reason," Katara pressed the subject. "You could just admit that and let me go."

"I never forced you to take your father's place," Zuko replied harshly. "You brought this on yourself."

"Oh, so now it's my fault? Because I actually care about my father?" Katara said agitatedly.

"Well, it certainly isn't mine."

Katara clenched her fists, her face starting to redden. "You know, if you hadn't been so… so _stupid_ to throw my father in your prison for nothing, I wouldn't have needed to stay here at all!" she said hotly. "I could've just been at home with my father, and I could've been happy!"

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Your father was the stupid one," he snorted, starting to get angry as well. "And don't even think I enjoy having a peasant like _you_ around."

"Excuse me?" Katara shrieked, her neatly put-up hair starting to come undone. "My father is _not_ stupid! And what did you just call me?"

"A peasant!" Zuko snarled back.

"Well, rather a peasant than a… A _monster_!" she spat out. She pushed back her chair and stormed out of the room without another word or look at him, fuming.

Zuko looked after her, eyes gleaming furiously. Who did that girl think she was, speaking to him like that?!

"Prince Zuko – " Iroh started, but Zuko cut him off.

"I don't care what you say; I am not seeing that peasant girl ever again!" he snapped, and stalked out of the room as well.

Iroh, aunt Wu and Sokka were left behind, all looking rather abashed. "Well," Sokka said after a while, blinking. "That went really well, don't you think?"

* * *

_A/N:_ _It's a little later than planned, but here you are; chapter 4. I hope you like it! Reads and reviews are always appreciated. :) -June.  
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	5. V Scars and Compromises

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or Beauty and the Beast. You can't possibly be under the impression that I do.**

* * *

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**The Beauty and the Beast**

_Chapter V._

_Scars __and Compromises_

As the days passed, Katara grew more and more accustomed to the castle. She could now find her way to the kitchen, the salon, the study and the garden without getting lost once, and was still learning to tell the other rooms apart. She had also learned where not to be at which times of the day to avoid Zuko – luckily, he seemed to be avoiding her as well. Most of her time she spent up in her room, catching up with Sokka or just talking to Suki, who had become a good friend. Aang and Toph were often there as well, when they weren't needed in the kitchen. Iroh always enjoyed having tea with her as often as he could, and aunt Wu sent snacks upstairs nearly every hour, claiming she was too thin for her own good. But not even all the pleasant company in the world could make her forget about her father. Or about Zuko's ill-mannered behaviour over dinner, for that matter.

And it wasn't as if they didn't try.

"Oh, come on now, dear," aunt Wu said as she nudged two cups, a small teapot and two cake plates onto the tray. "He's not as bad as he seems. You should give him a second chance."

Katara sighed. "Everyone's been telling me that this week, and the answer is still no," she said. "And frankly, I don't think he wants a second chance. He's been trying to avoid me as much as I try to avoid him."

"He's a little shy," aunt Wu shrugged, but Katara simply smiled and picked up the tray.

"Thank you for the tea and the cake, aunt Wu," she said, and she left the kitchen without waiting for a reply.

Why was everybody so worked up about this? She wondered about that as she strode through the hall. It wasn't as if she and Zuko had ever been close to begin with. The castle was big enough for them to both live there without having to see each other; she was happy spending her time with just the staff, and he was a lot happier by himself as well – if he was ever happy at all.

She pushed the door to the salon open with her foot and quickly walked in before it shut again.

Iroh smiled broadly at her from his chair near the window. "Ah, Miss Katara."

"I brought the tea," Katara said brightly, putting down the tray on the small salon table and pouring both of them a cup of tea. "It's jasmine; aunt Wu told me it's your favourite."

"Oooh, yes," Iroh said happily. He accepted the cup with some difficulty due to his lack of fingers. "Thank you very much."

Katara chuckled. "It's no problem." She sat down opposite him. "How are you doing today?" she then asked. "I haven't seen you until now, and it's already past lunchtime."

"I am doing just fine," Iroh assured her, nipping at his tea. "I've had a talk with my nephew, is all."

Katara's smile fell from her face immediately. "I see," she said, trying not to sound too annoyed with the fact that Zuko had somehow managed to work his way into their conversation again.

"You should not scowl, Miss Katara," Iroh said smiling. "It does not do your beautiful face justice."

Katara blushed, embarrassed, and quickly took another draught of tea. 'Thanks, Mr. Iroh," she smiled.

"My pleasure," Iroh grinned back. He put his cup down, and it immediately hopped back to the table to fill up again. "You know," he then said, "You really should – "

"I'm sorry, but I'd really rather not talk about Zuko right now," Katara cut in irritably. She'd kind of had enough of that.

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "I was going to tell you you should try out the ginseng tea next," he said. "It is very good as well."

"Oh." Katara felt the heat rushing to her face. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "It's just that, for the past week – well, past ten days is more like it – everything starting with 'you should' ended with 'forgive Zuko'. It's driving me mad."

Iroh picked up his cup of tea as it came hopping back to him. "I see," he said slowly. "I cannot deny he has been very rude to you and has not shown you much kindness so far."

"He indeed has not," Katara mumbled, recalling the time she spent in the tower.

Iroh took a long draught from his cup. "I assume your brother and the others have already told you all about the curse?" he said, blowing on the candle at the end of his right arm to ignite it.

Katara nodded. "Sokka told me it was because Zuko refused to let an enchantress stay in the castle."

"That is correct," Iroh said, nodding. "And we were all turned into objects matching our jobs. My nephew, however, was turned into what was deep inside his heart."

"A monster," Katara huffed. She wasn't at all surprised; he was just as horrible on the outside as he was on the inside.

"That is one way to see it, yes," Iroh said hesitantly. "But to see the real Zuko, you must look beyond that."

Katara very much doubted she wanted to see the real Zuko, but allowed Iroh to continue without interrupting him.

"Now, I assume you have noticed his most recognisable feature?" he asked.

"You mean the scar over his eye?" It was pretty much impossible to miss, so yes, she'd noticed.

Iroh nodded. "Correct again," he smiled. "I do not believe my nephew was turned into a monster; he simply became as scarred on the outside as he is on the inside."

Katara titled her head to the side a little, and bended forward to put her cup back on the table and pick up her piece of cherry pie. "What do you mean?" she asked, mildly interested.

"Have you ever seen his mother or father?" Iroh suddenly asked.

Katara looked up in surprise. She'd never really thought about that. Now that she did, though, she didn't think she'd ever seen them. So she shook her head.

"They died six years ago," Iroh stated calmly. "Before they died, Zuko was never like this. He was a friendly boy; a little tempered, perhaps, but never harsh or cruel. But then his mother became sick, and she passed away. My brother died of the same disease and of grief soon after. That changed Zuko for good. I think he believed everyone he loved had abandoned him, and so he became cold and distant. I don't believe he is truly as unkind as he acts; he is scarred and afraid of his own emotions. And so, when the enchantress put the spell on him, he became as scarred as he is inside his heart."

Unsure of what to say, Katara decided it was better to keep her mouth shut. She felt a little sorry for Zuko, and could understand losing two parents in such a short time was a hard blow. But she didn't think it was an excuse for his behaviour. There was still Iroh, after all: For all she'd seen of it, he was a kind and loving old man who cared very deeply for his nephew, and she thought this whole curse was a very poor way to thank him.

Iroh seemed to have read her mind. "Do not think to little of him, now," he said gently. "Despair can do the strangest things to a human being, and at that moment, a lot of weight was put on Zuko's shoulders; too much for him to carry. What he needs most is someone who can understand that, and forgive." He gave Katara a hopeful look as he said this.

Katara sighed. "I have said so before, Mr. Iroh, and I will say so again: Unless he apologises and really means it, I am not going to give him a second chance."

"I am not going to force anything on you," Iroh said calmly. "It is entirely your decision, and I respect that."

"Thank you," Katara said gratefully. She put her plate down on the table and got up. "I think I'll go outside and take a walk," she said thoughtfully. "I still haven't seen the northern part of the grounds. Thank you for the tea." She smiled, bowed and left the room.

…

"I still can't believe how stubborn you are!" Aunt Wu gave him an annoyed glance. "Why can't you just go and apologise?"

Zuko looked back at her with similar annoyance. "She started it," he said shortly. Then, realising it had sounded rather childish, he added, "What does it matter anyway? She hates me, I hate her, we're all better off this way."

"Oh, she doesn't hate you," aunt Wu sighed, shaking her head at him.

"Oh no, she definitely hates him," Sokka said matter-of-factly, earning him an angry glare from aunt Wu.

Zuko groaned and dropped back onto his bed. "This is ridiculous," he said. "Why _am_ I keeping her here?"

"Because she's our only chance to lift the curse!" aunt Wu told him sternly. "Although it's no use if you don't start treating her better…" She gave him an extra-severe look as she said this, which Zuko chose to ignore.

"Yeah," Sokka nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you have to get together with my sister, you have to at least treat her well." He flinched as Zuko glared at him, but returned his gaze defiantly.

"I told you, I'm not doing this anymore!" Zuko snapped. He covered his face with his arms. It was the girl who should apologise, in his opinion. She'd started shouting, she'd insulted him, a _prince_, and had just walked out on him without any sign of remorse at all. And yet everyone thought it was all _his_ fault? Preposterous!

"Don't give up now," aunt Wu said, now looking as if she felt a little sorry for him. "She'll come around. She's not quite as narrow-minded as you seem to think, you know."

Zuko opened his mouth to tell her that was not his problem at all, but was cut off by Sokka.

"Look," he said, frowning at him. "This curse isn't just your problem, you know. We're all having to deal with it, and we all want to get rid of it. So stop being so damn selfish and _do_ something!"

Oh, how Zuko wished looks could kill. But before he could say anything in his defence, the door swung open and Iroh came in.

"Ah, Iroh!" Aunt Wu turned to face him immediately, a hopeful look on her face. "How is she doing?"

Iroh shrugged. "She is still offended, and not very willing to forgive yet," he said.

Zuko sat up and crossed his arms. "Stubborn girl," he huffed.

"I don't think _you _have the right to say that," aunt Wu said irritably. "If you'd just apologise to her…"

"Which I won't," Zuko said immediately.

Aunt Wu wrinkled her nose. "Where is she now?" she asked Iroh, still giving Zuko a dirty look.

"She said she wanted to explore the northern side of the castle grounds," Iroh said. He closed his eyes and smiled. "A very clever and interested young lady, Miss Katara. Doing very well at getting accommodated here, too…"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You mean the chasm?"

"What else is out there?" Sokka shrugged. "Not really the greatest place around here, if you ask me…"

"But that place is dangerous," Zuko said, frowning. The cliffs could collapse any moment, and the chasm was quite deep. No sane person would ever go near there – no sane person that _knew_ the cliffs could collapse…

"Oh, Katara's a smart girl," aunt Wu said briskly. "She wouldn't go all the way to the cliffs when she knows they can collapse any time."

But that was exactly the problem Zuko had spotted. "And does she know?" he asked, feeling he already knew the answer.

The three objects exchanged an uncomfortable glance. "Eh…"

Zuko groaned and smacked his hand against his forehead. Of course… "You idiots!" he snarled at them. Without another word, he stomped out of the chamber and slammed the door shut.

Why was he always the one that had to clear up the mess?

…

The wind was cold that day, and Katara wrapped her cloak closer around herself. November was clearly nearing its end: Pretty much all the trees were bare now, and the weather grew colder by the day. It wasn't the most perfect day to go and a walk; not at all. But she felt she needed to get away from everyone for a bit, and that was simply impossible inside the castle.

For more than a week now, everyone had been trying to make up for Zuko's behaviour, begging her to give him another chance and to forgive him. But no one had told her _why_. Why was it so important that she forgave Zuko? Why did they want them to get along so badly? She had asked them, of course, but all of them had shrugged it off and switched to another subject. Even Iroh, who she always thought to be an honest man, had avoided the question. It was all very annoying, really.

She had always been rather quick to forgive. Even without a proper apology, she was never able to remain angry for a very long time. So why could she now? _Because he's rude,_ she immediately thought. He had been rude, cold, mean and horrible to her and her father, and had never shown any kind of remorse for it. He didn't _want_ to be forgiven; or at least, he didn't act like he did. And as long as he kept up that attitude, she wasn't going to change hers. No matter how much the others wanted her to; no matter how sad his past had been.

As she continued walking, she found the northern part of the grounds wasn't very impressive. It consisted of a few old bushes and mainly empty spaces. At the far end was a huge cliff, overlooking a very deep chasm.

Curiously, she stepped forward. The view was definitely breath-taking, but in a slightly frightening way. The chasm was broad, with sharp rocks pinning up everywhere. Deep down at the bottom, Katara thought she could make out a small river, but it was small and hardly visible. She shuddered. She certainly didn't fancy falling down there…

A loud _crack_ brought her back to earth. Startled, she got up. What was that? There was another loud, tearing noise. She looked around bewildered. What was going on? Before she fully realised it, the ground beneath her feet was crumbling away. She shrieked, trying to get away, but she was already falling.

And then, suddenly, she wasn't falling anymore.

A strong, warm hand grabbed hers firmly. "Hold on."

She recognised the deep voice immediately. Amazed, she looked up. "Zuko?" More rocks fell down, and she flinched.

"Keep still!" Zuko ordered, trying hard not to let her hand slip. "I can't pull you up if you keep moving around like that, you idiot!"

Katara scowled and sent him a death glare, but obeyed nonetheless. The only other option was crashing down on the rocks, after all, and she didn't really believe she'd enjoy the latter. In an attempt to divide her weight, she tried to grab his arm with her other hand as well, but it slipped away almost immediately. Horrified, she looked from her now-bloody hand to his arm. Warm blood was pouring out of a deep cut that ran from his wrist to his upper arm, soaking his sleeve and dripping down his hand.

But he paid no attention to it. He gave a hard tug on her arm, partially reeling her in; then, now grabbing hold of her with his other hand as well, he pulled her over the edge and dropped backwards, panting.

Katara crawled away from the edge a little further, and then sat up straight. She stared at him with wide eyes. "Your arm…" she gasped.

Zuko looked at his arm as if he hadn't even noticed the long gash. "It's okay," he then said, shrugging.

"Of course it's not okay!" Katara snapped at him. She took of her cloak and started wrapping it tightly around his arm. Jerk or not, she couldn't let him die from blood loss. She just couldn't.

Ignoring his protests, she pulled him to his feet. "I'm going to need to clean that before I bandage it," she stated matter-of-factly. "Come on!"

Zuko growled. "I don't need you to-" But Katara ignored him and dragged him along with her, back into the castle. Stunned, he followed her, nearly tripping over his own feet as she started to walk faster. She was actually a lot stronger than he'd given her credit for – he made a mental note to remember that. Once inside the castle, she immediately ordered his staff to bring them hot water, medicine and plenty or clean cloth and bandages. She then proceeded to push him down into a chair by the fireplace and started unwinding her cloak again without saying a word. Zuko decided it was probably better not to complain and just let her do whatever she planned to do. On second look, his arm really did look bad, and maybe it rather hurt after all. He had now idea how he'd gotten the cut to begin with: He assumed he'd ripped his arm as he'd rushed to catch her hand in time.

Within a minute, aunt Wu, Iroh and Sokka returned with the items Katara had ordered. All three of them looked worried, but Katara paid no attention to them. Carefully, she soaked the cloth in the hot water and, without warning, placed it on Zuko's arm.

Zuko roared in pain and pulled his arm away. "What are you doing?!" he bellowed, glaring angrily at her.

Katara placed her hands on her hips and glared back at him. "Well, I'm _trying _to clean the wound," she huffed. "But if you don't keep still, I don't think I'll be able to do so!"

"I pulled away because it hurt!"

"Oh, and it didn't hurt before?"

Zuko grumbled something inaudible, sending her a furious look. As much as he hated to admit it; she was right. Reluctantly, he allowed her to tend to his arm again.

"Now _hold still_," Katara stressed as she placed the cloth on the cut again.

Zuko winced, but kept his arm as motionless as he could. "You know," he said gruffly, "if you hadn't gone to that stupid cliff, none of this would have happened."

Katara's hand slipped, sending the blood-soaked cloth flying onto the carpet. "Excuse me?" she snarled. "You're blaming _me_ for this?"

"Yes, I am," Zuko snapped back. "Any idiot could have seen those cliffs can crumble any time!" He shivered as she placed a new cloth on his arm, not quite as careful as the first time.

"Well, I didn't force you to help me out!" Without taking her furious eyes off him, she continued to clean the blood off his wounded arm. "And if you wouldn't have been so horribly stubborn as to avoid me and refuse to apologise to me, you could have just come to me and told me about it! That would've saved us both a lot of trouble. And hold that arm _still_!" she added hotly, pulling his arm roughly back into position.

Zuko was too stunned to reply. Never before in his entire life, he could remember meeting anyone who was so unabashed by the fact he was a prince and showed him so little respect – not even other nobles. But this girl – this _peasant girl_ – simply continued acting the way she was used to. She didn't care who he was. And, no matter how much she disliked him, she insisted on taking care of his wound.

"Sokka, please hand me the bandages and medicine," Katara ordered, without looking up from her work.

Sokka hastily handed her the bandages and bottle of medicine, and stepped back again.

Carefully, Katara dripped the transparent fluid from the bottle on the cut, and started rubbing it in with a new, dry cloth, firmly holding her grip on Zuko's arm to restrain any movements. After making sure she hadn't missed a spot, she started winding the bandages around his arm, slowly to make sure she got it right. "Don't move!" she hissed as he tried to pull away again. "You'll tear the whole thing up!" She ignored his menacing stare and continued to tie the bandages further around his arm. "There!" she nodded, satisfied. "That should be better."

Zuko looked at his arm in wonder. Everything was neatly bound, and he had to admit it didn't hurt quite as much anymore. He grunted, deciding there was no way to get around it. "Thank you," he mumbled reluctantly.

Katara gave him a surprised look. Then she shook her head. "No," she said. "Thank you." She glanced away, scratching the back of her head. "You saved my life."

Zuko blinked. That part he hadn't expected. "You're welcome, I guess."

"Hmmm." Katara's face turned severe again. "Just don't think I've forgiven you yet!" she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're still rude and conceited!"

"And you're still a plain and respectless peasant girl!" Zuko sneered back at her.

"_Oh!_" Katara clenched her hands to fists. "How dare you! You, you…"

Sokka shook his head. "They haven't changed a bit," he sighed.

"Oh, they have both learned from this," Iroh assured him, smiling broadly. "Even without directly saying so, I think they have come to a compromise."

Aunt Wu nodded heavily in agreement. "Oh, they're definitely making progress!" she said brightly. "Yes… I think our chances have turned for the better."

* * *

_A/N: It took me a little longer than planned, but I finally got to upload chapter 5 - which I hope you liked. As for all upcoming chapters: those might take a good bit longer to update. School started again some weeks ago, and while I had already written out the first 5 chapters, I haven't yet finished any of those beyond. I did get to map out the rest of the story, though, so it will hopefully go faster than the other multi-chaptered fic I used to work on (updating that one often took several months or longer). _

_Any reads and reviews are appreciated. :) Thank you._


	6. Interlude

Disclaimer: I _still_ don't own Avatar or Beauty and the Beast.

* * *

**The Beauty and the Beast**

_Interlude I._

_An Offer You Can't Refuse_

"This isn't good."

Jet took a large draught and put his emptied glass back down on the table. Restlessly, he glanced around the tavern. No, things were definitely not good. Actually, things hadn't been good for quite a while now.

It had all started at that story night in the tavern. One of the elderly villagers had brought up that crazy story about the beast of the castle again. An argument had broken out about it, which had finally resulted in Katara slapping _him_, of all people, and stomping out furiously. Not only had the spot she'd hit him still been throbbing the day after: He hadn't seen her ever since. No one had.

He'd cursed himself at first, angry for having blown their first date (although the word didn't quite fit the situation). But when she hadn't been seen by anyone for over a week, he started to worry. Was she still upset, or was something wrong? Maybe she was sick? But now it was nearly three weeks since the last time he saw her, and he could only draw one conclusion: Whatever was going on, couldn't be good.

"Take it easy, Jet." Smellerbee threw him a side-glance from behind her bushy hair. "It's probably nothing. So what if she hadn't been seen for a while? She's just angry."

Jet bit his lower lip. "Three weeks isn't just a while, Smellerbee."

Smellerbee only shrugged. "Hey, if she really hates you, you can count on not seeing her for a lot longer," she said. "She's just avoiding you, or trying to freak you out. No big deal."

"That's a bad thing as well, y'know." Jet groaned and leaned back in his chair. "How can I ever marry her when she hates me?" he complained. He just didn't understand. How could he ever have messed up so badly?

"Then find another girl," Smellerbee opted. "I don't understand why you're so keen on getting her, anyway. She's weird."

"She's the most beautiful girl in town!" Jet exclaimed indignantly. "The whole world, probably. I don't want anyone else." He let out an exasperated sigh. Why couldn't they just understand? The most beautiful girl in town needed to marry the most handsome guy in town. It was a simple rule. So why was Katara trying so hard to avoid him?

On the other side of the table, Longshot gave him a stern look and shook his head.

"He's saying you can't judge by appearances," Smellerbee clarified, nodding her head in agreement.

Jet merely shrugged. "I can always get to know her once we're married," he mumbled.

"Still having big plans, I see?"

Jet looked up. In all his concern over his and Katara's fate, he hadn't even noticed Zhao approaching them. "Good morning," he said, perhaps more coldly than he usually would have done. After all, Zhao had been the main reason for Katara leaving the tavern.

Zhao didn't pay attention to it. "I haven't seen young lady Katara around for quite a while," he said, seating himself at their table. "It must worry you."

"She'll come around," Jet grunted. "I'll go visit her some time soon to see if she's cooled down already." He glared darkly at the man, but he ignored him.

"You can save yourself the trouble," Zhao replied. "I looked in on the matter a few days ago. The house is lit at night, but the door is never opened – not even for me."

Jet couldn't blame them, but refrained from speaking his mind. Annoyed, he played around with the glass in his hands. "What do you want from me, Zhao?"

Zhao smirked, obviously pleased with the question, and leaned his arms on the table. "I came to ask you what _you_ want, Jet," he said. "I believe you wish to marry Hakoda's daughter?"

"Yes." Jet gave him a suspicious look. "Why?" he wanted to know.

Zhao's smirk broadened. "I can help you to get what you want."

Jet's face darkened. He pushed his chair backwards and got up. "I don't need your help, Zhao," he said curtly. "Come on, Smellerbee; Longshot. Let's get out of here."

But Zhao got up as well, blocking his way. "Oh, I think you do," he said icily. "Because, you see, at the moment, she doesn't exactly… ah, _like_ you. She never has, for that matter. How do you plan on winning her for yourself?"

Jet hesitated, and Zhao's lip curled into a satisfied smile. "I have an offer to make you, Jet," he continued. "A very fine one, if I may say so myself."

"What offer?" Jet asked sharply. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Oh, it's very simple," Zhao said. "Of course you know I've been attempting to get Hakoda in one of my cells for quite a while. As you must know, he is a danger to our entire village."

"Hakoda is harmless," Smellerbee cut in, frowning.

Zhao continued as if he hadn't heard her. "You must also know that Miss Katara is very fond of her father. So fond that she might be willing to do certain unusual things to keep him out of jail for as long as possible."

"Come to the point, Zhao," Jet said impatiently.

Zhao gave a short nod, his cold smile widening. "I need you to testify against Hakoda," he stated. "If you do so, he will finally be thrown in jail, and I get what I want; and I can get you what you want. You can make her a proposal: Should she be willing to marry you, her father's time in prison will be shortened. It's simple. She won't refuse you."

Jet's eyes widened. "That's crazy!" he exclaimed. "I'm not that desperate!"

"I think you are," Zhao smirked. "Because right now, she hates you enough to stay inside her house for three weeks."

"Why do you need me to testify?" Jet demanded, feeling both agitated and embarrassed for being thought of in such a pathetic manner. "There are so many villagers thinking Hakoda's a fool. Why not ask them?"

Zhao shrugged. "You are seen as one of the most respectable and important men of our village, both by your birth as your skills. As such, your testimony would be of more value than that of any other villager. Also, you would be surprised to see how few villagers really want to get rid of that old fool."

Jet shook his head. "You're crazy, Zhao," he said.

"Am I?" Zhao grinned icily. "I'll let you decide that for yourself. My offer still stands, Jet; it's one you can't refuse."

* * *

_A/N: YIKES! I am so, _so_ sorry for the long delay! I never meant to, but then again, I never meant to get sick either. To keep things short: I've been sick to the point where I couldn't read because my head was killing me, and though I'm practically all better now, I still have a good half year of schoolwork to catch up with. Which, as you might be able to imagine, leaves little time for typing. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting for so long!_

_I originally intended for this to be part of chapter 6, but because I won't have time to work on that until spring break (which isn't until May or so) I'm posting this as an interlude instead. I planned to do this earlier, too, but I accidentally deleted it from my pc. Luckily, I made a back-up on my father's laptop, but it took me a while to get access to that. Also, I didn't really check this for spelling- or grammar errors, so... well, you might run into a thing or two._

_Thanks for sticking with me so far!_

EDIT: Oh, crap. It seems has decided to remove any kind of storybreaks, except from their great, big, ugly horizontal line. Now everything just runs together. What kind of crap is this?!


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